This invention relates to a body supporting apparatus.
Persons who are bedridden may suffer great discomfort and anxiety owing to their confinement.
The discomfort may be alleviated to some extent periodically by moving the person between a supine position in which the person lies flat on his or her back and a reclining position in which the back of the person is elevated. Changing between supine and reclining positions is particularly troublesome for those persons who cannot move themselves and, in such cases, requires the aid of at least one attendant person. As the patient is required to be manhandled during such movement, the process may be painful for the patient and may expose the attendant person to risk of injury and, in particular back strain.
The anxiety generally arises from a state of helplessness which bedridden persons perceive to exist owing to their reliance on other people to assist them with various tasks including changes in position in bed.
The present invention seeks to provide a body supporting apparatus which provides assistance to a person supported on the apparatus in moving between supine and reclining positions, preferably to such an extent that such movement can be accomplished without assistance from another person.